All {great} things must come to an end

Today was my first day back at work after the super-Utah-vacation, and the first time ever that I didn't take my pump with me. For all of the things that have gone right during these past 14+ months of mothering, breastfeeding has been one of the very best, and the very most rewarding for me. I have loved my time with my little girl, to stroke her face and hair, to hum songs for her, and for the time breastfeeding gave me to stop, and think, and just be present with my child.


I approached breastfeeding like I approached labor and most other things parent-related: "let's hope for the best but not be too set on a certain outcome" (this is how I avoid most guilt and disappointment in my life), but I remember distinctly that after 10 days of real touch and go, I felt like we were going to make it. Then, when Gigi was four months old and I started working half-time, I made the goal of breastfeeding her exclusively until she was a year old (thank you office door for allowing me the privacy to pump at work!), and well... we just didn't know how to stop. Here we are at 14+ months and we have phased out until all that is left of me is snuggles. I owe a great shout out to Gigi and to my breasts for providing nothing but 100% Häagen-Dazs for this little girl. It's been real.


Now that the chapter of having exclusive time between me and Gigi is finished, I will have to learn how to be fun.

Almost home (and oh! we left!)

I have been so R.U.D.E. I took off with my family to Utah for two weeks for a wedding, and didn't even bother to mention that I was ducking out. Please forgive me.

We have been doing a little thising and thating, and we will be home tomorrow to tell you all about it. But I can't promise that writing travelogues will win the arm wrestle between us packing up house to move in the next week, painting the bathrooms in the new place we are renting, welcoming my mom to North Carolina, and catching up on all of the work we have missed.

But I will try. It has definitely been a trip worth writing about!

Snippity Snip Snip!

Well, I did it. I finally cut some bangs on Giovanna a few weeks ago! The situation was becoming critical because she wouldn't leave her barrettes in her hair, and her bangs were so long they were down to her chin. It was very scary to do it only armed with information gained from watching youtube videos, but I had seen enough of them to know that all you really needed was a spray bottle, a decent pair of hair cutting scissors and a comb, and a lollipop.


A few days later at Hillsborough Hog Days, a local event that features a bar-b-que cook-off. These bangs are great for hot summers in the South.


And even better for covering up the various bruises she gets on her forehead, from trying to walk through walls. This girl...

Lap Sitter

Next week we take off to Utah for my sister Amanda's wedding (hooray!), and I have been thinking about how to keep Giovanna occupied and happy during our flights. Finally I had this brilliant idea: Before we board the plane I can recruit women in the waiting area to sign up for a rotation. One after another each woman will take Gigi for fifteen minutes or so and let her rummage through their bags. Gigi would be totally content investigating the contents of these many purses, the other passengers will be relieved because she won't be crying, and the airplane will be full of mutual happiness and satisfaction.


But for some reason I just can't see it happening. So I thought of Plan B: Mary Poppin's magical bag. What do you think? I could bring along a lot of toys and snacks, and if I run out of energy to keep pulling things out, I can just drop Gigi in and call it good. Bonus feature? The bag is dark inside, and might even lull her into taking a nap.

No?

Okay... Plan C: I bring 1 (one) bag and try to bring the very best of novel toys, and the very tastiest of snacks, and pray really, really hard that she will behave. Or, at least that she will not cry (too much). And this is where you come along: do any of you have some winning entertainment ideas? I have starting putting some toys aside, and we will have Marcos' smart phone with some sesame street songs for when we have really had it, but I could use some help with brainstorming. If you have ever traveled with a 1-ish year old who needed to sit for longer periods of time than usual, and something worked, please share (maybe ideas from Sacrament meetings?)! Gigi is a good, usually happy girl, but she likes roaming, and she is little and can't sustain attention for an extremely long amount of time. Thanks for considering!

Plan D: In an emergency situation adopt the mantra "These people hate me but I will never see them again in my life. These people hate me but I will never see them again in my life..."